


Somewhere Only We Know

by SwiggitySwagWhatsInTheBag97



Category: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Movies)
Genre: F/M, gonna need some kleenex, hits me in the feels, so cute, super sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:26:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwiggitySwagWhatsInTheBag97/pseuds/SwiggitySwagWhatsInTheBag97
Summary: So what would happen if Bethany held onto Alex's hand as Nigel sent him back to 1996? How would they cope with actually seeing each other through their own eyes and then being ripped away? I don't know why I torture myself with sad stuff, but here you go.This is going to be a slow burn, a few chapters. Hope you guys like it! I like feedback!
Relationships: Alex Vreeke & Bethany Vreeke, Alex Vreeke/Bethany Walker
Comments: 27
Kudos: 80





	1. Unspoken

It happened so suddenly. As soon as Alex touched Nigel’s hand, he began to dematerialize. It came as a shock to Bethany. She at least wanted a chance to say goodbye, or to hug him one more time. But before she could grasp what was going on, she quickly jumped towards Alex and latched onto his arm. She began to feel it, too. Evaporating. Completely losing all your senses. She was frightened, but she knew she had Alex with her. 

There was a second of darkness. And then she began to feel, hear, and see again. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, as she wasn’t in the school basement where she had been originally. She found herself in a bedroom, covered in posters, a raggedy comforter, and a young man’s arm she was still holding onto.

Their eyes met. 

“Bethany?”, the _real_ Alex whispered. Bethany began to swell up with tears, a huge grin came across her face. “Alex! It’s you! The real you! Oh my god, you’re _young_!” Alex was shaking his head in amazement, “I guess it spit me out exactly where I was!” He could feel the tears coming on, as well. 

He felt her arms gripping tightly onto his arm and he fully embraced her with a hug. He cupped the back of her head, fulfilling every sensation he could, as he had his own body back. Gently stroking her golden locks with his hands. He inhaled her scent; warm vanilla and fresh cotton. She was beautiful. Fridge was _absolutely_ right. His heart began to pound louder, as he let out more tears of relief. He wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.

They both felt at peace, finally being able to see each other with their own eyes. Hold each other with their own arms. “I owe it all to you Bethany”, he squeezed her tighter, before pulling a part. They both felt pulled, a force compelling them to share a kiss. He held her face as their lips touched. It felt like a giant rush. So many emotions, that butterfly effect in their stomachs, and having an out of body experience. Bethany had never felt this with any other guy she had been with. Alex felt the same way but didn’t have the same amount of experiences as Bethany had to compare. In their minds, they thought this was crazy. Alex had only ever seen her as a middle-aged, large man. But their souls connected, he knew they did. And she did, too. 

When they pulled apart, they gazed into each other’s eyes.. Bethany’s striking blue eyes, tears on her cheek. Alex, still holding her face, used his course thumb to swipe away the tears on her soft face. 

“Bethany, I- “…

And then it happened. 

Bethany began to feel the senselessness of before. A green hue overcame her body; _she began to dematerialize again._ Both of their faces were filled with worry, they cried “No”. The thought of not being in each other’s lives, were breaking their hearts. _How am I going to live without her? I owe my entire life to her…_ Alex thought. _He knows the real me, he knows my soul…_ Bethany cried. And just like that, she was gone.


	2. Nothing but Strangers...

A moment of darkness… and she was back in the school basement. Her newly found friends immediately ran to her, they didn’t know what had happened. “Alex, I got to go back. He is right back when he started that game! He’s ok!”. Even though he was okay, the team still wasn’t convinced that Bethany was going to be okay. She looked like her soul got ripped out. Martha gave her a hug, Fridge followed, and finally Spencer. They all let out a deep sigh of relief and from then on out, they knew they would be in each other’s lives forever. 

Martha came up with an idea, “Bethany! Let’s go check out the Vreeke House! He could still be there!” Bethany’s face lit up, Fridge and Spencer were on board, as well. The gang immediately left the school and made their way to Alex’s childhood home. Bethany had been speed walking, while the other’s tried to keep up with her. And there it was. A once shell of a home, was now a beautifully decorated, white house. Gold and red Christmas bows adorned the columns. Poinsettia’s on the steps. And a minivan started to pull up with a Christmas tree strapped to the roof. 

Out hopped an older woman, a little girl, and the owner of the home. He was not the old man they were all so afraid of anymore, but he had a warmth around him, as the little girl screamed out, “Grandpa!”.  
_Bethany’s stomach dropped_. The driver door opened. A man with a worn Metallica shirt hopped out, put on a leather jacket, and reached out to the side door to grab a baby carrier. He turned and immediately spotted the group. He was frozen in his tracks.

“Alex?” Bethany whispered. She felt sick. Alex walked slowly to the group, recognizing her, immediately. His heart pounding, loudly. He was happy, at least, to see what his other friends looked like. But he felt like crying. It was even hard for him to look at her, because carrying his newborn child, while his wife and daughter hopped out of their minivan… He couldn’t explain it. _He felt guilty._ He had wanted to wait for Bethany, but he knew there was a massive age gap. He thought she wouldn’t want to be a part of that. 

He got the courage to walk up to the group. “Bethany.” He stated. There was that pull again. That damn magnetic pull. He had hoped these feelings would go away. _Damnit, they should have._ He had two kids and a wife. For Bethany, it was still so fresh. She had to reel herself back in. _How can you expect him to wait, like twenty years, Beth. Get over yourself._ She thought. She tried to convince herself, that that kiss was just a friendly ‘in-the-moment- kiss. Her heart was telling her that he felt it, too. 

He had to look away from her. “Spencer?” he pointed. “Yeah” he replied with a grin. “Ruby Roundhouse?”, they giggled. “That would make you Fridge!” Fridge was guilty. “I’m stoked to see you… all of you”, his eyes came back to Bethany. Bethany smiled again, putting on a brave face. She had tears, but kept them at bay. 

“You’re an adult now! You have a family!”. It felt painful to shake his head yes. Spencer asked, “Your parents? Your house? Is it-“, Alex said, “All good bro”. 

“This is Andy,” he referred to the carrier, “And my daughter… her name is Bethany. We named her after the girl who saved my life”. They both immediately smiled. Tears now coming down from Bethany’s face. Alex could still feel the last time he wiped away her tears. Her soft skin, catching on his course drummer hands. Even though it had been 20 years, he still got butterflies from her.  
These butterflies signified every feeling possible. Love, lust, guilt, excitement, embarrassment. He had such a deep connection with her. A connection he never had with anyone else, after. That includes the mother of his children.

Bethany quickly became realistic, and spit out, “Well we’ll let you get back to your family”. That gave her a bad taste in her mouth. 

She felt alone, now. She felt like life wasn’t fair. Why did she have to get sucked up into Jumanji. Why did she have to meet Alex and have her entire life as she knew it, change? Alex got out his cellphone and passed it around the group, asking for their numbers. He would love to catch up with them. He knew this was a bad idea, but a part of him just wanted to have her in his life, someway. Even if he never texted her or called. Her number was still in his phone. He still had a piece of her. When the numbers were exchanged, they met their eyes again. 

A deep pain in both of their eyes. 

A small wave from Bethany. A head nod from Alex. 

And then they parted ways. 

Lying to themselves, that they were just strangers.


	3. The Journal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex gives Bethany a gift.
> 
> (Also, I am not sure if it was mentioned in the movies, what grade they are in, but I like to imagine the 2017 movie, it's their junior/senior year. And the 2019 movie, it's their 1st/2nd year of college). So just go along with it.

A few months had gone by since that day. Prom had come and gone. This was the first time she had not gone to prom since the 8th grade. And this one was important because it was her senior year. She went over to Martha’s house for that, to do her hair and makeup. Then went home to drink alone in her room. 

Now it was time for graduation. She was excited for this. There was still a piece of her mind that kept telling her that Alex would confess his true feelings for her now that she was of age and, in society’s eyes, a woman. But she knew that she was only kidding herself. 

The day had come. The gang decided to have a joint graduation party. Setting up at a rental hall in the city. Their parents didn’t understand this newly formed group but didn’t mind splitting the cost with three other families. The ceremony commenced and it was officially time to party.

Fridge and Bethany were living it up, taking celebratory shots. While Spencer and Martha couldn’t stop holding hands and awkwardly dancing with each other to the music. Eventually Fridge found an old flame and snuck off to find an intimate corner in the rental hall.

Bethany found herself, alone, again. Drink in hand, bobbing up and down to the music. Until she felt a hand touch her shoulder. It startled her and she quickly turned around, it was Alex. Her quick movement caught him off guard and he smirked and gasped, as it had frightened him back. 

She felt sick, again. There was a long and awkward pause. “Martha and Spencer are on the dance floor. Fridge snuck off with some girl”. He nodded his head, “I actually came here for you”. He still couldn’t look at her directly in the eyes. But he glimpsed at them and saw melancholy and hope within them. She continued to stare at him. “I, uhh” he cleared his through, “I brought you a gift. For your graduation”. He held out a paper wrapped rectangle. It was heavy. She set down her drink and turned the gift over and around, to guess what it was. She smiled a little. Just that small lip curl, made Alex’s heart skip a beat. When she was studying her gift, he let his eyes roam her. 

He missed that golden hair. Her smell of warm vanilla and cotton. He just wanted to hold her again. She looked back up, “Is it a book?” She went to tear it open. He reached out his hand to hers to stop her from opening it. “Wait-“, he told her, “It’s really important and I want you to open it when you’re alone”. His face got somber again. Her smile began to fade, “Okay..”. There was that silence again. Hanging with so much tension. “I just wanted to stop by and say congratulations. I am so happy for you, Bethany”. He couldn’t help himself, as their pull was too magnetic. He leaned over to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. He couldn’t help but to linger for more than a second. When he was done, he surveyed the room to make sure no one saw; he was in the clear. She felt like she was going to breakdown, right then and there. She wanted more from him. She wanted to kiss him, to hug him, to touch him. She wanted everything from him.

They made eye contact one last time. Pain seeping through their eyes. Both of their hearts pounding. He nodded his head at her and, reluctantly, walked away and left. 

\---

She sat on her bed contemplating for hours on opening it. _This is probably the world’s longest breakup letter_ she thought, _Or just a big picture book of African Jungles_. It was midnight. She decided to gently take off the wrapping paper. It was a book; leather bound. She felt the texture of it on her hands. She opened to the first page. _The Journal of Alex Vreeke_. Written underneath it, _To: Bethany. You saved me in more ways than I can count. Please cherish this._

Her eyes teared up a little. She gently turned the page. It was dated 1996.  
_Bethany. You just left. You disappeared right in front of me. I wanted to tell you something. I love you. That sounds so corny. But, you did something to me. When I held you in real life, it cemented the feeling. I owe this to you, Beth. I’m back. Thanks to you_

Bethany began to cry. For her it was only a few months ago, she wish she had more time for him to tell this to her face. But Jumanji fucked her over, once again. She began to read the journal all through the night. Dozens of beautiful sketches of Bethany were in the book. He told her that he had to keep drawing her to keep her alive in his memory. He even admitted to purchasing candles or lotion that smelled like vanilla just to remind him of her. _Going into Bath and Body Works as a young man, definitely got him weird looks._ She let out a giggle. The next page was exceptionally heavy. She turned the page slowly. There was tape covering the corner of the page. Looked like it had something inside of it. The page was titled, “My 18th birthday”.  
_Today’s my 18th birthday. Sounds so weird, considering I’ve been alive for more than 20 years on top of my 18. I was going to give you this today. It isn't much. Just a simple ring.I know, I know. So stupid. Looks like it came out of a Cracker Jacks box. We don't even know each other that well. I just wanted you to have this. You deserve it. I don’t mean to be all poetic and shit. I just know you aren’t going to want me when I’m super old. I plan to give this to you, one day. This book, I mean. I want you to keep the ring. I owe you that much._  
‘Bethany quickly ripped open the taped pouch and out plopped a ring. It was a simple golden band. A tiny stone. She loved the simplicity of it. A promise ring? An engagement ring? Bethany didn't know the sentiment. All she knew was, Alex gave it to her. And she loved it.

She quickly flipped through the rest of the book. Each entry was getting scarcer, the older he got. She got to the last page. It was dated the day she came back, and they met up with Alex in front of his dad’s house. 

_Bethany. I don't know how to put my feelings into words. I didn't mean for you to see me like that, today... The things I've confessed in this book, while they're true, I don't want you to get confused. You gave up one of your lives for me. I felt like I couldn't waste it. I needed to make your sacrifice worth while. It was so hard for me to see you again. So hard... But...It may be best if we stayed out of each other’s lives from now on. We've got to try._

She cried herself to sleep that night.


	4. Faded

Months had gone by. 

Not a word from Alex to Bethany. It stung even worse knowing that Alex had been texting Fridge, Spencer, and Martha. Cake memes to Fridge, nerding out with old Nintendo with Spencer, and friendly check-ups to Martha. He asked about Bethany a lot. The other’s figured that he was keeping his distance because Bethany came on a little too hard (pun intended) during Jumanji and Alex had a family now. They gladly kept him updated. But did not think anything of their relationship, or lack thereof, now. 

Bethany’s love life had been non-existent. Sometimes she would download those dating apps to try and get herself back out there but ended up swiping left to everyone because they didn’t suit her. Alex’s marriage had been going downhill. Not that it was ever perfect. They both knew that they were only staying married for their children. And what a sad existence that is. 

His Jumanji nightmares had flared back up, ever since he gave Bethany that book. He felt so incredibly stupid for giving it to her. He hated himself for, probably, filling her head with love poems and hope and then on the last page, completely copping out. He knew he had to break her heart. If he saw her again, he didn’t know if he could control himself anymore. 

Bethany could feel herself losing control. She knew she was on a downhill spiral. She felt like she didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. She’s told Martha that she had a fling with a boy and now he doesn’t want to see her anymore, which isn’t exactly lying. But Martha didn’t know how to give advice on these situations. She has only ever been with Spencer, and let’s face it, they will probably end up being together forever.  
She knew she couldn’t stand another night being in her room alone. Crying. Or drinking. Or drinking and crying. She got up, got dressed in a mesh/sheer long sleeve blouse, a lacey bra underneath, and a pink miniskirt. She was going to the club. She wanted to dance and, hopefully, meet someone new to take her mind off of things.

She arrived to one of her favorite clubs. A staple in her adolescence. She had a fake ID. Got it in the 8th grade and it never failed her. She immediately headed to the bar. She felt so overwhelmed. She hadn’t really left her room, let alone her small town, in quite a while. 

“What’ll it be?” the bartender asked. “Uh Cosmo, extra strong, thanks”. She drank it a little too quickly, to calm her nerves. Refilling and, again, downing her Cosmo. She made her way to the dance floor. Finding herself just letting go and dancing to the music. Never caring if hands found her body or others danced close to her. She just let go. And then one of those songs came on that just struck a cord in her heart. 

_Where are you now?  
Another dream?  
The monsters running wild inside of me  
I’m faded…  
So lost…  
I’m faded…_

She broke down. Tears coming to her eyes. Mascara running. Still out of body, because of her two strong drinks. 

_Was it all in my fantasy?  
Were you only imaginary? _

She ran to the bathroom. Pounding her fists into the bathroom stall. She pulled out her phone. She did the unthinkable and to be fair, she wasn’t thinking at all. She dialed Alex.  
\----


	5. Electrifying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A much needed phone call and what resulted from it.

It was past midnight. The only time the phone ever rings that late is if someone died. Alex popped out of bed quickly, and groggily, retrieving his vibrating phone next to his bed stand. His eyes strained to see the caller id. _God, I’m getting old,_ he thought. He slipped on his glasses, _Bethany_. He let out a deep breath. He turned around, out of habit, and was thankful that his wife was in the guest room, asleep. He got up silently. He whispered, “Bethany?! Are you okay?”. He heard small sobs and pulsating music in the background. He plugged an ear with his finger to hear her better. 

“Why… why…” she tried to form a sentence, “We both know what this is and you just threw it away”. She couldn’t hold back her cries anymore. She just let it out. All the while, Alex scrambled from his bedroom into his office on the first floor. He sat on the desk, phone against his ear. His heart was breaking every time she let out a cry. His fists started to clench. Thunder waned in the distance. Solid raindrops pounded against his office window. Bethany slammed the back of her head into the bathroom tile, sliding down the wall and crouching on the floor. “Do you even still-Do you even want- “she cried out. Alex looked around, still making sure no one was up. He sighed, “I still love you”. Bethany let out a giggle in the midst of sobs. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Prove it” she slurred. He could definitely tell now that she was drunk. At least tipsy.

“Bethany, where are you? What are you doing?” he pressed. His “concerned dad tone” struck a chord in her. She rolled her eyes. “Pulse. Downtown”. She couldn’t believe she let that slip. Must’ve been the Cosmos she downed. _Not like he would come anyways. He has an imaginary restraining order against me_ , she thought. She hung up the phone. Hoping he did not hear her say where she was. She really didn’t want this night to get any worse. She just drunk dialed an ex (Was he, though?), who was a middle-aged, married man, WITH children. _That’s an all time low even for you, Beth_. 

Alex’s self-control lasted an all, three seconds, before he started to put his plan into motion. He went back upstairs, slipped on jeans, a thermal long sleeve, and his shoes. He went over to his wife’s bedside, “Hey” he shook her a bit, “Dave’s battery went dead on his car. I’m going to run out and jump it for him”. She sleepily nodded. He was almost sickened at how easy it was for him to lie to his wife. They were already talking about separation. Sleeping in different rooms, for pete's sake. So it’s not too bad. 

He ran out to his car, parked on the street. Got in and set off to Pulse. He hadn’t been to Pulse in, what, 17/18 years? He knew the way. About a 25-minute drive. Nothing could stop him. Except his inner dialogue. _What the hell are you doing? You said you wanted to stay away from her? Who do you think you are? A knight in shining armor? You’re a middle-aged creep. Just turn-around now._ His heart spoke louder, though.

Bethany knew she was in no condition to drive. She didn’t trust those uber-drivers, either. She took a long look in the bathroom mirror. Taking a paper towel to her mascara ran cheeks, a deep breath and headed back out. She went up to the bar and ordered a water. She drank it pretty fast, too. Crying always made her dehydrated. And being slightly drunk didn’t help, either.

Alex was lucky that there were no cops out that night. He had made it to the club in record time. Found a parking space on the street, checked himself out in the mirror, and headed in. He had to stand in a line for a bit and the bouncer even gave him a weird look. He wasn’t too offended. He was a middle-aged man heading into a club… alone.

Bethany wondered her way back through the dance floor for one last dance before she decided to go home. As she stood in the middle, a path separated, as if on purpose, to reveal a familiar face starring directly at her. Their eyes locked. Both of their hearts dropped into their stomachs. Without losing eye contact, Alex made a b-line towards Bethany. Her body took off into flight mode. She felt embarrassed about her drunk call. She felt embarrassed he had to meet her here. She pushed through the crowd and kept looking back towards him. She knew the backdoor to this place like the back of her hand. 

They both were fumbling through the crowds. She busted through the backdoor and walked out into a downpour of rain. _Oh, shit_ she thought. A few seconds later, he busted through the door and found himself in the same predicament. They faced off for what felt like forever. Each getting drenched in the midnight rain. 

The air was electrifying. 

And the distant lightning had nothing to do with it.


	6. An End in Sight

They each starred into each other’s eyes. No on blinked. They both were breathing heavy, hearts beating uncontrollably. Bethany stepped backwards to walk away, and she turned quickly. But a strong hand instantly grabbed her by her arm and pulled her around.

Their lips collided.

A wave of nostalgia washed over Alex. A kiss he could only ever dream of, since it had been over a decade when it happened. But like riding a bike, it all came back to him comfortably. He did not think of life as he knew it. But life as it should have been, right there in that moment. His lips intertwined with Bethany’s. Her hands resting on his back and smoothly running up his arms. His hands tracing up her body, to her neck, and now in her hair. 

Bethany’s heart felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. She had never felt such passion from anyone she had ever been with. But the same boyish charm that she had previously experienced with Alex, was still there. But taken over with more maturity and confidence. She couldn’t believe that this was happening. She had been dreaming of this moment. 

The kiss turned into something else, very quickly. Both backing up, still in lip lock, to the back of the bricked building. Hands exploring each other’s bodies. Tongue exploring each other’s mouths. They had barely noticed the rain, anymore. He had grabbed onto her thighs and pulled her up to where she was straddling him. And he turned around and rested her back on the building, while she was still hoisted up. 

She could feel his hardness through his jeans and her skirt was pushed up, revealing her panties. His hands kept exploring and grabbing her thighs in handfuls. She was making a mess of his hair and traveling her hands under his shirt to his upper back.

He gently grinded into her core and she let out a soft moan. _Oh, my god that noise,_ He thought, _I could listen to that forever_. He smirked when she moaned and she let out a soft giggle. They both stopped kissing for a moment. Gazing into each other’s eyes. Suddenly realizing it was still raining. 

“Oh, shit” Alex said. They both busted out in laughing. He let her down softly and held her hand. “I parked right over here, come on”. She followed behind him. Both jogging to his car, laughing. He got in the driver seat, her in the passenger. He started his car and turned on the heat. They didn’t realize how freezing they were. There was some awkward silence as the heat warmed up. Alex didn’t really know what to say. He was sitting alone, in his car, with the woman he loved. Not to mention their intense makeout session, moments before. 

Bethany knew how to seduce. She was pretty much a pro on it. Got her a lot of free drinks as a teenager. She turned her body to him. Their eyes met again, hearts began to beat loudly. She took his hand in hers and guided it to her breast. Alex hard swallowed. His pants feeling awfully tight, again. His hand groped her mound and she let out a soft moan. He definitely needed to adjust, soon, because his pants were getting very uncomfortable. 

She took his hand off of her and rested it on her leg. Without breaking eye contact, she pulled the wet mesh top off of her body. As smoothly as she could, considering they were in a car. Tossing it to the floor. Alex hard swallowed, again. Starting to rub her thigh. She slowly unhooked her bra, hands coming forward to direct the cups off of her exposed chest. Alex could not believe what he was seeing. He was ashamed to admit he had quite a few wet dreams about Bethany. But his imagination paled in comparison to the real deal. 

He lifted his hand to move towards her breast, but he hesitated and made eye contact for reassurance. She smirked and nodded in consent. _God, his hands are warm,_ she thought, as his hands enveloped her body. Their lips crashed together again and they both simultaneously (and clumsily) made their way to the backseat. They quickly did away with his flannel shirt. She ran her hands over his body. Toned, but a dad bod. He couldn’t get over how soft and smooth her skin was. His hands were softer than the last time she felt them. But there were still remnants of course-ness; his earlier years of being a drummer.

She went for his pants, feeling him up on the way. He let out an involuntary groan that sent such heat down to her core. They both gazed into each other’s eyes. They both knew exactly where this going. No holds barred. 

She unzipped the side of her miniskirt and slid it down her legs and kicked it onto the floor. All that was left was her silky underwear. His pupils dilated even more if that was possible. He unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down, kicking them off. He was in his briefs. Hardness showing very apparently. Bethany didn’t notice that she was biting her lip. 

They crashed, again, into each other. This was it. They both knew it. She pushed him back, to where he was laying down completely. She was on top of him, gently moving down to his briefs, pulling out the surprise inside. 

He was _very_ well endowed. Bethany grinned, before kissing the tip. His body shuttered under her touch. He let out a laugh, “Slow, slow”. He reached out his hand and placed it on the side of her cheek and rubbed it. 

But something caught the light. 

_His wedding ring_. 

His heart sank. He knew he couldn’t go through with this. That’s not the kind of man he is. His heart desperately wanted to but knew what the right decision was. His smile deflated. Bethany felt the coldness of the metal on her cheek and looked up to see a sad Alex. She knew what happened. She could feel tears building up. Alex adjusted himself back in his briefs. And leaned up. “Bethany-“he breathed. She shook her head yes. “I understand. You still love her-“. He let out a laugh, “No, no, Beth, no. We’re separating. We want a divorce. But I am _not_ the kind of person to cheat. Even if it is in a loveless marriage. Listen. I want to _so_ , so bad. I want to be with you. But I need to do this right”. 

Bethany nodded. She knew he would beat himself up about this. He held her hands. “You’re so beautiful. Even better than the dreams I’ve had of you.” She let out a small smile. He stroked her hands, “I want this to be special. I want this to be right. You deserve that. We both do. What we’ve been through.” He started to shake his head. 

“How long?” She murmured. She knew that had been a selfish thing to say. He had a family. She didn’t want to be the reason of the divorce. “Beth… I’ve been waiting for this moment for over a decade” he laughed, “I want you to have all of me. No restrictions. I had a feeling for the past couple weeks that my wif- she already filed for divorce. I’m just waiting for the papers. I got the truth out of her sister when I called the other day. I’m going to bring it up tomorrow morning. I can’t wait any longer, Beth. But… we are going to have to.”

Bethany shook her head in agreement. If anything, she thought she was way too bold tonight and they both got ahead of themselves. She had been dreaming, no, pining for him for a long time, too. She deserved to have an unrestricted Alex. “I want to be a part of your life for good. If this is what it takes, then I will wait. I’ll run to you, Alex. When you are ready, I’ll run.” She cupped his cheek with her small hands. A smile ran across her face and his heart skipped a beat. 

They awkwardly put on their clothes again, taking notice of each other’s bodies in the process. They couldn’t help themselves. Hopping back into the front seats, they both held each other’s hands while he drove her home and dropped her off.

Alex couldn’t help but to feel guilty at what had almost happened in the car his wife liked to drive. The one he took family road trips in. He felt guilty for what he was about to put his children into. But he knew his wife deserved better; she deserved someone who was absolutely enamored in her. And not just with a guy who accidently knocked her up in college. But one feeling he couldn’t shake was excitement. He had been dreaming of Bethany since he was a teenager. Their was an end in sight to this madness. 

A silent bedroom leaving Bethany with nothing but her thoughts was hard. She felt alone again. In disbelief of what almost happened between them. But then a small spark lit up in her heart; hope. She knew she wouldn’t be alone. She quickly went to grab her phone, almost calling Martha, but caught the time in the corner of her eye. Eh, she would text first.

“You up?” she wrote. She couldn’t stop fidgeting her toes on the bedspread waiting for a response.

“Surprisingly.” Martha texted back. Bethany felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She wanted to scream to the world about the news. But decided it was a better option to inform Martha instead. The two stayed up all night talking about it.


End file.
